Owning Your Summer: A Letter from the Editor

Flowers are flourishing, the snow is gone and the sun is shining. It is the start of one of the most beautiful times of the year: summer. To most people, that means vacations or taking time off from school or work. Summer has the reputation of either being the season of slacking or doing too much. Summer opens up a lot of free time that can often get intimidating. College students specifically tend to be the ones who are affected by the “summer blues” the most because of the endless possibilities that the season can bring. With all of the schoolwork we bury ourselves in, we tend to forget to plan ahead and then, BOOM, here comes the end of our semester and the start of the plans that we don’t have. We get the idea that because our friends are going out of the country or taking on the responsibility of having three jobs, we have to do the same. That is not the case; we have to start re-evaluating our lives and doing things because of our own needs instead of choosing to do things because it will make us look good in other people’s eyes.

This is the time to go ahead and do a major self-reflection. Start learning new skin routines, have a picnic with friends or pick up a new hobby. Learn how to create a budget instead of going out and spending all you have just because you feel that you are making a lot of money. This time off can also be beneficial. You can work on some freelance work, which would add pieces to your portfolio, or even try to go for an amazing internship that may lead to your dream job. Make sure you don’t sell yourself short.

There are also a lot of ways to enjoy the Lansing area and even MSU’s campus once most of the students leave. This is the chance to visit all those places, on and off campus, that may be too crowded during the school year and to also snap an amazing picture that could help to spruce up your Instagram. So, go out and enjoy some ice cream at one of the amazing places we have recommended in this issue; after a long winter and all that hard work, you deserve it!

Let’s not forget that we are all unique. We all have different needs, and this is important because not all our summer plans are going to be as lavish as others – but again, that is OK. We need to snatch our summers back and not be afraid to care for ourselves. Whether that is through fighting for something we believe in or speaking out against things we feel are wrong. This is the summer of revolution. We need to stay on track with our mental health, our inner happiness and, ultimately, the goals that we have in place for our lives.